“We distributed some pamphlets to other students inside our school to increase the awareness towards bullying and its effects & consequences.”

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.There are three types of bullying, Verbal Bullying, Social Bullying and Physical Bullying but this article will only focus on Verbal Bullying.

Verbal bullying is a means of using words in a negative way such as insults, teasing, put downs, etc., to gain power over someone else’s life. Many students’ lives have been destroyed by verbal abuse in schools.

Where and When Bullying Happens? Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youth’s neighborhood, or on the internet.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Kids Involved in Bullying:

The roles kids play in bullying are not limited to those who bully others and those who are bullied. Some researchers talk about the “circle of bullying” to define both those directly involved in bullying and those who actively or passively assist the behavior or defend against it. Direct roles include:

Kids who Bully: These children engage in bullying behavior towards their peers. There are many risk factors that may contribute to the child’s involvement in the behavior. Often, these students require support to change their behavior and address any other challenges that may be influencing their behavior.

There are two types of kids who are more likely to bully others:

Some are well-connected to their peers, have social power, are overly concerned about their popularity, and like to dominate or be in charge of others.

Others are more isolated from their peers and may be depressed or anxious, have low self esteem, be less involved in school, be easily pressured by peers, or not identify with the emotions or feelings of others.

Children who have these factors are also more likely to bully others;

Are aggressive or easily frustrated

Have less parental involvement or having issues at home

Think badly of others

Have difficulty following rules

View violence in a positive way

Have friends who bully others

Remember, those who bully others do not need to be stronger or bigger than those they bully. The power imbalance can come from a number of sources popularity, strength, cognitive ability and children who bully may have more than one of these characteristics.

Kids who are Bullied: These children are the targets of bullying behavior. Some factors put children at more risk of being bullied, but not all children with these characteristics will be bullied. Sometimes, these children may need help learning how to respond on bullying.

Even if a child is not directly involved in bullying, they may be contributing to the behavior. Witnessing the behavior may also affect the child, so it is important for them to learn what should they do when they see bullying happen. Roles kids play when they witness bullying include:

Kids who Assist: These children may not start the bullying or lead in the bullying behavior, but serve as an “assistant” to children who are bullying. These children may encourage the bullying behavior and occasionally join in.

Kids who Reinforce: These children are not directly involved in the bullying behavior but they give the bullying an audience. They will often laugh or provide support for the children who are engaging in bullying. This may encourage the bullying to continue.

Outsiders: These children remain separate from the bullying situation. They neither reinforce the bullying behavior nor defend the child being bullied. Some may watch what is going on but do not provide feedback about the situation to show they are on anyone’s side. Even so, providing an audience may encourage the bullying behavior.

Children at Risk of Being Bullied

Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk factors:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem

Are less popular than others and have few friends

Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention.

Verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying, you might not recognize it because it can be played off as a joke or harmless teasing. To stop verbal bullying, you have to know what it looks like. It can be a name whispered in someone’s ear or a putdown yelled loud enough for an entire class to hear

Verbal bullying can be:

Teasing

Putdowns

Cruel criticism

Calling names

Using “just kidding” or “can’t you take a joke” are ways bullies disguise their actions to make them look harmless, but it can actually make the victim feel worse.

Verbal bullying does not leave physical marks making it hard for students to see the negative emotional consequences.

When no one stands up for a victim when they are being verbally bullied, this can make the victim feel even worse about themselves.

Republic Act No. 10627: The Anti Bullying Act in the Philippines

Republic Act 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act (the “Act”), aims to protect children enrolled in kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools and learning centers (collectively, “Schools”) from being bullied. It requires Schools to adopt policies to address the existence of bullying in their respective institutions.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SEC. 2. Acts of Bullying. – For purposes of this Act, “bullying” shall refer to any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property; creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; infringing on the rights of the other student at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school; such as, but not limited to, the following:

b. Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or emotional well-being;

c. Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victim’s looks, clothes and body;

Support Kids Who are Bullied

Listen and focus on the child. Learn what’s been going on and show you want to help.

Assure the child that bullying is not their fault.

Know that kids who are bullied may struggle with talking about it. Consider referring them to a school counselor, psychologist, or other mental health sevice

Give advice about what to do. This may involve role-playing and thinking through how the child might react if the bullying occurs again.

Work together to resolve the situation and protect the bullied child. The child, parents, and school or organization may all have valuable input. It may help to:

Ask the child being bullied what can be done to make him or her feel safe. Remember that changes to routine should be minimized. He or she is not at fault and should not be singled out. For example, consider rearranging classroom or bus seating plans for everyone. If bigger moves are necessary, such as switching classrooms or bus routes, the child who is bullied should not be forced to change.

Develop a game plan. Maintain open communication between schools, organizations, and parents. Discuss the steps that are taken and the limitations around what can be done based on policies and laws. Remember, the law does not allow school personnel to discuss discipline, consequences, or services given to other children.

Be persistent. Bullying may not end overnight. Commit to making it stop and consistently support the bullied child.

Avoid these mistakes:

Never tell the child to ignore the bullying.

Do not blame the child for being bullied. Even if he or she provoked the bullying, no one deserves to be bullied.

Do not tell the child to physically fight back against the kid who is bullying. It could get the child hurt, suspended, or expelled.

Parents should resist the urge to contact the other parents involved. It may make matters worse. School or other officials can act as mediators between parents.

Address Bullying Behavior

Parents, school staff, and organizations all have a role to play.

Make sure the child knows what the problem behavior is. Young people who bully must learn their behavior is wrong and harms others.

Show kids that bullying is taken seriously. Calmly tell the child that bullying will not be tolerated. Model respectful behavior when addressing the problem.

Work with the child to understand some of the reasons he or she bullied. For example:

Sometimes children bully to fit in. These kids can benefit from participating in positive activities. Involvement in sports and clubs can enable them to take leadership roles and make friends without feeling the need to bully.

Other times kids act out because something else issues at home, abuse, stress is going on in their lives. They also may have been bullied. These kids may be in need of additional support, such as mental health services.

Use consequences to teach. Consequences that involve learning or building empathy can help prevent future bullying. School staff should remember to follow the guidelines in their student code of conduct and other policies in developing consequences and assigning discipline.

Involve the kid who bullied in making amends or repairing the situation. The goal is to help them see how their actions affect others.

Avoid strategies that don’t work or have negative consequences.

Zero tolerance or “three strikes, you’re out” strategies don’t work. Suspending or expelling students who bully does not reduce bullying behavior. Students and teachers may be less likely to report and address bullying if suspension or expulsion is the consequence.

Conflict resolution and peer mediation don’t work for bullying. Bullying is not a conflict between people of equal power who share equal blame. Facing those who have bullied may further upset kids who have been bullied.

Group treatment for students who bully doesn’t work. Group members tend to reinforce bullying behavior in each other.

What to Do If You’re Bullied

There are things you can do if you are being bullied:

Look at the kid bullying you and tell him or her to stop in a calm, clear voice. You can also try to laugh it off. This works best if joking is easy for you. It could catch the kid bullying you off guard.

If speaking up seems too hard or not safe, walk away and stay away. Don’t fight back. Find an adult to stop the bullying on the spot.

There are things you can do to stay safe in the future, too.

Talk to an adult you trust. Don’t keep your feelings inside. Telling someone can help you feel less alone. They can help you make a plan to stop the bullying.

Stay away from places where bullying happens.

Stay near adults and other kids. Most bullying happens when adults aren’t around.

How to stop bullying at school

You can be someone who stops bullying before it even starts.

Stand up for people who are bullied. Bullies often want an audience and approval. Let bullies know that you do not think being mean is cool.

Take an anti-bullying pledge. Print out a pledge to stand up against bullying. Share it with your friends, and let people know what you believe.

Take action. See if you can start an anti-bullying club or prevention program at your school.

Talk to other kids. Try to learn more about where bullying happens at your school. Talk about what might help. See if you and some friends can go together to talk to an adult at school.

Talk to your teachers or principal. Let adults at school know that you care about this topic.